WEDNESDAY 4/27

A TRIBUTE TO ERYKAH BADU: AKELA JAFFI, KWANG KWOO, CHANTI DARLING, MARQUISE DICKERSON, WILLIAM JAY, BLOSSOM, DJ DUBBLIFE
(Holocene, 1001 SE Morrison) In keeping with Holocene's tradition of artist homage nights like the Beyoncé-themed Bey Day and last year's wonderful tribute to Sade, tonight local artists will cover the tremulous works of beloved soul queen Erykah Badu. Sometimes witchy, sometimes twerky dance troupe House of Aquarius curated this evening's lineup and will perform choreographed dances to Badu's music. Marquise Dickerson and William Jay are the show's main offering, with the closest approximation of Badu's trilling form flowing from honey-voiced R&B singer Blossom. These spectator sets will later give way to Badu-sampled house from Chanti Darling and DJ Dubblife, inviting all to exult. SUZETTE SMITH Also see My, What a Busy Week!.

WILD NOTHING, WHITNEY
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Wild Nothing is the solo recording project of Virginia native Jack Tatum. Last month brought the release of his third full-length, Life of Pause. It's silky, slow burning, and much groovier than his previous albums, which drew from a more monochromatic, Cocteau Twins-inspired aesthetic. Life of Pause is richer and more elaborate, with jangling Cure-esque guitars layered over plush pop jams. Most songs will make you feel like you're being enveloped in sexy, kaleidoscopic clouds, or being drenched in sweet, syrupy funk nectar. If nothing else, maybe Portland's blank-faced, arms-crossed showgoers will dance for once. FIONA WOODMAN

THURSDAY 4/28

MICHAEL NAU, VIKESH KAPOOR
(Bunk Bar, 1028 SE Water) Michael Nau's sound comfortably wades between genres, particularly soft, old-school folk and melancholy pop. Aside from his solo work, Nau also fronts Page France and Cotton Jones, other indie outfits where he experiments with psychedelic folk rock and baroque pop. Together Nau and his wife Whitney McGraw started Cotton Jones—a quiet, dreamy band with an ethereal affect. Mowing, Nau's latest solo album, is a melodic compilation of his usual indie folk ballads, complemented by sweet, haunting vocals. His lyrics are sparse and seemingly simple, but there's no lack of depth in this solo album. ROSE FINN

THE SUBWAYS, PINS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Somewhere in the last 30 years of rock history, between the insubordinate cool of punk and the mega-popularity of hard rock, you can find English group the Subways wailing out riff-heavy songs (most notably "Rock & Roll Queen") on your favorite red-blooded TV show or movie soundtrack. Rather than succumbing to life in one-hit-wonderville, the three-piece band has proved their staying power. They've released a few albums since their 2005 debut and frequently sell out their rowdy live shows. Some believe fellow UK group PINS sounds more Brooklyn than Manchester, but either way they've inspired well-deserved kudos for their noisy pop-rock. ANNA McCLAIN

ACAPULCO LIPS, RONNIE HAINES, THE GOOBS
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) Seattle might not have the gnarliest waves, but the gray city to the north has inexplicably produced some of today's best surf bands, like La Luz (although they recently relocated to LA). Acapulco Lips just released their self-titled debut, nine tracks of gloom-surf that sound like a moonlit séance on the shores of Golden Gardens. They capture sun-soaked exuberance, shove it in an empty bottle of cheap gin, and drown it in the darkest depths of Lake Washington. Acapulco Lips' songs are built around twangy, classic surf riffs, rumbling percussion, and fuzzed-out production, with Maria-Elena Juarez's vocals cutting through the psychedelic clangor like cream in the strongest, bitterest mug of Seattle coffee. CIARA DOLAN

FRIDAY 4/29

STAR WARS & MORE: THE MUSIC OF JOHN WILLIAMS
(Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, 1037 SW Broadway) Imagine you're on the ice planet Hoth, in a civil war against the Galactic Empire. It's freezing and everyone's riding giant snow lizards. No, wait! You're in the Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, about to be sorted into your House. That creepy frog choir is singing, candles hanging eerily in the air. Wait. Wait a second. You're on Isla Nublar being chased by a velociraptor. Jeff Goldblum is there, which is cool, aside from the whole velociraptor thing. This is the stuff of dreams. Dreams, in fact, that famed composer John Williams helped bring to life with his immersive, expansive soundtracks. The Oregon Symphony, conducted by Paul Ghun Kim, celebrates Williams' iconic, six-decade career with all the gorgeous nerdery you could possibly desire. JENNA FLETCHER

KYLE CRAFT, MÁSCARAS, ANIMAL EYES
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) Kyle Craft officially relocated to Portland just last year, but the Louisiana native wasted no time assimilating to the Pacific Northwest. After gaining quick traction in the local scene—sharing stages with Y La Bamba and the Helio Sequence, among others—Craft signed with renowned Seattle label Sub Pop. Dolls of Highland, his debut solo record, was recorded back home in Shreveport, with finishing touches made in Portland (with help from the Helio Sequence). These two dissimilar regions inform Craft's music, mixing fiery Pentecostal rock 'n' roll with Northwest indie-folk. Formerly the frenetic frontman for Louisiana-by-way-of-Austin rock band Gashcat, Craft performs with all the energy and fanaticism of a holy roller, while his lyrics reflect a particularly dark brand of Southern Gothic humor. In the opening track, "Eye of a Hurricane," Craft sings/shouts, "Her mother was a demon, but her daddy was the devil/She fed scraps to her six-headed hound at the table." SANTI ELIJAH HOLLEY Also see My, What a Busy Week!

TORTOISE, LIFE COACH
(Revolution Hall, 1300 SE Stark) How does a band survive more than 20 years without a scratch on them or their discography? With Tortoise, some of that is due to the fact that its six members remain busy outside the fold: Guitarist Jeff Parker resides in LA, where his career as a jazz player thrives, and bassist Doug McCombs records on his own as Brokeback and with his other longtime band Eleventh Dream Day, to give but two examples. This allows everyone involved individual space and time to find new creative influences to bring back to the band. Once the sextet is together at last, the results are explosive and thrilling. That's the case with their latest album, The Catastrophist, a devilishly funky collection built from the stems of material the group wrote by a 2010 commission from the Chicago mayor's office to celebrate the city's storied jazz history. ROBERT HAM

JAMES BAY, JOSEPH
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) James Bay toys with simple arrangements and his silky tenor, the acoustic legacy of artists like John Mayer and Matt Nathanson. He's currently touring the States following last year's release, Chaos and the Calm, a sweet album highlighting his deft songwriting skills. Supporting his April tour is Oregon's own Joseph, a trio whose music rings with an intimate immediacy. Bedded in simple arrangements and harmonies, Joseph's music sits softly while making a big impact with their modern spin on Fleetwood Mac's style and country family porch jams. They'll release their second full-length this summer amid appearances at big festivals like Sasquatch and Bonnaroo. Joseph is stepping beyond Portland in a big way. JENI WREN STOTTRUP

SATURDAY 4/30

RABBITS, DEATH EYES, HEAVY HANDS
(The Know, 2026 NE Alberta) San Diego's Death Eyes explode in fits of aggro-hardcore, alternately turning riff-rife tunes like the bilingual "Wasted Prayers" into oddly engaging experiments in noise. Their 2015 self-titled LP features a zombified Pope Benedict XVI on its cover, alluding to the mayhem found within. Vocalist Alberto G Jurado leads a charge of bone-crunching tones approximating the disconnect between first-wave hardcore and contemporary noise bands, with especially impressive fret tinkering by guitarist Jason Blackmore. It's a fucked-up album to listen to first thing in the morning (see the creepy anti-romance tune "Bedroom Eyes" or the social media-railing "Halfway to Sainthood" for proof), but luckily this show is in the evening at the last great punk-rock venue in Portland, and Rabbits are playing to boot. Get pissed off on Saturday night in America. RYAN J. PRADO

MIKAH SYKES, ALISON JANE CLARYS, ARRINGTON DE DIONYSO
(The Waypost, 3120 N Williams) While ever-present, explorative, and purposeful, the music of Arrington de Dionyso takes many forms. With the venerable K Records stalwarts Old Time Relijun, he presides over a swampy, stomping, black mass of shrieking garage funk. Malaikat dan Singa is similarly serrated, but more chanting and psychedelic. As a solo artist, Dionyso inhabits deep centers and meditational space with Tuvan throat singing, bass clarinet, and homemade instruments. His performances are spiritual, animalistic, and immersive, as he enters seemingly transcendental states. (And, despite all this heavy-duty, all-in artistry, he maintains a sense of humor—see the YouTube video Arrington de Dionyso's Guide to Advanced Sexual Techniques.) A rabid collaborator, this evening Dionyso will by joined by a drummer and soprano saxophonist. "I'm singing in sound-poetry mode with bass clarinet, invented instruments, and Indonesian flutes," says Dionyso, adding: "I've been doing a lot more dancing too." ANDREW R TONRY

ZHU, GALLANT
(Roseland, 8 NW 6th) When Steven Zhu—who uses his surname as his onstage moniker—first started posting to SoundCloud in early 2014, he chose to remain anonymous and let his music be judged on merit alone. Now he's a Grammy-nominated artist for his club-friendly "Faded." Zhu's musical influences and versatility become apparent when you listen to The Genesis Series, a six-track EP of collabs with artists from Bone Thugs-n-Harmony to Skrillex and Mind of a Genius labelmate Gallant. With his soaring falsetto and galactic production, Gallant has been stunning festivalgoers at Bumbershoot, SXSW, and—most recently—his set at Coachella, where he brought out surprise guest Seal during "Weight in Gold," arguably the singer's most popular song. At first listen, his tonality can easily be mistaken for Maxwell or even Usher, but Gallant brings distinct qualities of futurism and vulnerability to the neo-soul genre. The emotion is palpable on the entire Ology album, but especially on tracks like "Bone + Tissue" and "Skipping Stones," featuring Jhene Aiko. JENNI MOORE

SUNDAY 5/1

FLOATING POINTS, IDRIS ACKAMOOR AND THE PYRAMIDS
(Doug Fir, 830 E Burnside) It's easy to forget that Sam Shepherd makes electronic music. Well, maybe he doesn't, strictly speaking. The Manchester-born, London-based DJ/musician—who records and performs as Floating Points—incorporates jazz and organic elements into his sonic brew, stitching together warmly spacey tones, ambient lulls, and explosive breaks on his debut full-length, Elaenia. It's album that's in love with sounds for sound's sake, like Brahms' notion of "pure music." Fans of Caribou and Tortoise will find much to appreciate here, but even when Floating Points is at its most familiar, the level of Shepherd's invention is invigorating. He'll be joined by West Coast jazz cosmonauts Idris Ackamoor and the Pyramids, who re-formed in 2007 after a three-decade hiatus. Their upcoming album We Be All Africans is a splendid concoction of Fela-style afrofunk, Sun Ra outer-galaxy thoroughfares, and In a Silent Way-era Miles Davis meditations. NED LANNAMANN

BEACH SLANG, POTTY MOUTH, DYKE DRAMA, PUPPY BREATH (Analog Café, 720 SE Hawthorne) Recently the alternative-punk mecca of Philadelphia has brought forth from its musical underground the fiery, youthful howls of Radiator Hospital and the piercing, contemplative sighs of Girlpool. Beach Slang teeters somewhere between—singer James Snyder channels the bar-band punk odes of Paul Westerberg, his vocals like raspy croons meant to be sung along with friends over bombastic, maximalist guitars and cymbal-heavy drums. "Filthy Luck," the first track off Beach Slang's 2014 EP, Who Would Want Anything So Broken?, pairs particular well with the Replacements' "Alex Chilton." Their 2015 follow-up LP, The Things We Do to Find People Who Feel Like Us, continues in the same vein of classic stadium rock-infused punk that could unite even the most rebellious of teens with parents self-conscious about their fading sense of "cool" (it's called chill now, mom). CAMERON CROWELL Also see My, What a Busy Week!

MONDAY 5/2

SERATONES, SUSAN
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Louisiana's Seratones come on like a fever or a hurricane. But ignore the evacuation warnings, because vocalist AJ Haynes is like Karen O meets Sister Rosetta Tharpe. While Seratones' kindred spirits Alabama Shakes play laidback post-modern roadhouse blues, Seratones go for the jugular with garage-y, swampy guitars and a manic White Stripes energy. Their track "Chokin' on Your Spit" is almost a punk tune. "Sun" is reckless and dangerous—Haynes chirps while berating, bawls out while apologizing. The song "Chandelier" struts a soulful, relatively subdued, edge. But don't miss the bridge when the band really loosens up amid drum fills and Haynes' hollering, building to a climax that's less of an ending and more of a mic drop. WILLIAM KENNEDY

TUESDAY 5/3

KVELERTAK, WILD THRONE, GAYTHEIST
(Hawthorne Theatre, 1507 SE César E. Chávez) Kvelertak broke through with 2013's Meir, a barrel-chested blast of punk, heavy metal, and hard rock paired with the ragged howl of vocalist Erlend Hjelvik. On their new album, Nattesferd, Hjelvik gargles as much gravel as ever, but Kvelertak continues its evolution into a top-notch hard-pop band. The first single, "1985," mines the '70s, marrying bottom-heavy boogie-rock with early Van Halen vibes. "Ondskapens Galakse" contains some of the band's sharpest guitar lines to date. And the title track—with its unrelenting riff and melodic backing vocals—basically sounds like the Foo Fighters if Dave Grohl screamed the whole time. Hjelvik is a tremendous metal vocalist with incredible stage presence, but his style is not for most folks. You have to wonder what this band's ceiling would be if they brought melodic vocals to the forefront more often. BEN SALMON

ZACHARY SCHOMBURG FEAT. TYPHOON, HALEY HEYNDERICKX, MY BODY
(Mississippi Studios, 3939 N Mississippi) Despite living in New York for the past four years, Darren Bridenbeck and Jordan Bagnall have always been honorary Portlanders: Bridenbeck played in 40 Hundred Thousand Locked Up Guns (affectionately referred to as "Forty Hundy Thundy") and served as KPSU station manger during Portland indie's mid-'00s "golden era," while Bagnall is a former member of Typhoon and Doubledutch. The group's current project, My Body, is one of the most original electro-pop bands currently active. Last year's Six Wives was a criminally under-discussed mini-LP—in particular, opening track "All I Can," a perfect blend of Bridenbeck's heavy, smokestack-like production and Bagnall's inimitable croon. And they've just moved back! MORGAN TROPER